Amazon DSP (Demand-side platform) and Sponsored Ads are both integral parts of Amazon’s advertising capabilities, however there are some areas where Amazon DSP is miles ahead. Here are a few features featured on Amazon DSP that aren’t enabled on their PPC platform…
1. Overlap reports
Overlap reports are an ideal way to find out what audiences you should be including within your Amazon advertising activities.
The reports are also a handy way to extend your campaign reach with overlapping audiences, as well as providing a useful tool for anyone who needs to give their messaging greater resonance.
Reports can be created after an audience has been established and approved. One of the most important aspects of these reports is the ability to see which categories your audience spend time in. The best metric to look for is the affinity score, which provides a quantitative score to show how much similarity there is between this overlapping audience and the audience which was already chosen when creating the report. The higher the affinity score, the more alike the two audiences are.
An affinity score of 2 is suggestive that the audience will be 50% more likely to share preferences with the original audience selected. For affinity levels of 7 and more, we recommend targeting using Lifestyle or In-Market categories so adverts can appeal to a larger catchment. These reports are immensely helpful for gaining access to unexpected data.
2. Strong remarketing
Remarketing/retargeting ads are a particularly important part of the Amazon DSP. Using this part of the Amazon advertising platform, you’ll possess a greater ability to regain the interest of prospects who have interacted with your products, yet not made a purchase. Recently this feature has also been added to sponsored display campaigns, but only in one size and not advertising one specific product like you can do with DSP.
Retargeting is a fantastic means of boosting your conversion rates and is also sure to help you develop stronger bonds with prospective customers.
3. Advertising opportunities for non-Amazon sellers
Not all your advertising activities need to be centred around Amazon itself. Through the Amazon DSP, you can create link-out campaigns. This type of campaign is used by brands that do not sell on Amazon and are trying to divert Amazon traffic to external locations. One of the best features of DSP is being able to target very specific audiences to your needs which can be utilized in link-out campaigns.
For example, if you own a car insurance company, you can run ads on Amazon that target shoppers who are looking for car parts, car air fresheners etc. Hence you appear right where you want to in front of who you want to.
Whether you want to scale your exposure, raise awareness about your external brand or generate sales elsewhere than Amazon, this is a great way to achieve your goals – and it is distinctive only to Amazon DSP.
4. Minimum Investment for DSP
Whilst not necessarily a feature of DSP, it is important to register the difference in investment for both platforms.
As Amazon PPC campaigns all link towards Amazon products or storefronts, the barrier to entry is very low at a minimum spend for all campaigns at only $1. This makes it easier for advertisers to jump straight into their ads, relatively risk free.
By contrast, Amazon DSP demands a heavier investment, with higher risk, in return for the advanced reporting and audience insights at your disposal. The self-service advertising solution requires a minimum monthly spend of $10,000. Alternatively, the Amazon Managed Services DSP option requires a $35,000 minimum monthly spend.
5. Amazon DSP Reporting Centre
Close up view of a laptop with reports and charts on the screen
This aspect of Amazon DSP also helps to set it apart. The reporting centre via the Amazon DSP platform is incredibly comprehensive, and in any comparison with Amazon Sponsored Ads the latter is sure to fall far behind.
The feature provides users with an in-depth insight on all the areas which truly matter – add to carts, sales, engagement sales made through new to brand, brand store engagement and of course, traffic.
6. Target by postcode or location
This feature will allow you to only display your adverts in selected areas, whether that is a postcode or a city. Using such precisely focused targeting is a great way to ensure your adverts match each target audience with greater clarity than is possible via Amazon Sponsored Ads.
You will only be able to segment your adverts via the IP address of the device which is being used, but you can also use these exclusionary tactics to your benefit when delivering adverts. All you need to do is set areas in which you do not want your ads to appear, to ensure you achieve the results you need when and where you want them.
7. Segment your campaigns
During the process of creating your line items on Amazon DSP, you will need to make them either desktop or mobile-oriented. This new level of control is always preferable when you’re trying to develop stronger campaigns, as it also provides much greater clarity and information about the activities undertaken.
A key benefit to this in-depth segmentation is the ability to control where ads appear.
8. Scheduling adverts for set times (Dayparting)
As well as all the other great capabilities of the Amazon DSP, users are also able to schedule their adverts to appear at set times of the day or week. This is a particular area of note for those accustomed to Amazon Sponsored Ads, where capabilities are significantly more threadbare all around. Now, the ability to schedule the exact time of day and days when you want your ads to appear gives greater levels of control.
The feature will probably be rolled out to Amazon Sponsored Ads in time, but at present, you can make the most of the relative exclusivity. It will also allow users to boost activities during those times when adverts are more frequent.
9. Targeting by prior purchase behaviour
If a buyer has already bought a product which is in some way similar to the item you are selling, through Amazon DSP you will have the ability to choose them as a target for your advertising. Interestingly, for this form of advertising, there is no need for you to be in any way connected to the brand which is selling a similar product.
A powerful targeting capability will give you the ability to forge ahead with more focused and comprehensive advertising activities. The targeting is particularly powerful when you are intent on reaching new audiences.
10. Greater data leverage
With access to information on millions of shopping transactions, using Amazon DSP is the ideal way to use this data to target Amazon customers, with your targeting based on their prior behaviour and their purchase intent.
For help with your campaigns please get in touch.
